Redemptive Suffering

 

    

1 Peter 4:1-2

 

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us* in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

NKJV

 

When I say the word "suffering" what is your first response?  Joy?  Rapturous delight?  Or most probably, dread and a desire to avoid it?  We humans are adverse to suffering and will go to great lengths to avoid it.  One of my sons had a real hatred for needles.   When he went to get his five-year-old school vaccinations, it took three people to hold him and one to administer the shot.  Don't get me wrong.  He is a very obedient son.  His aversion to needles was just more powerful!

Christ suffered the ultimate agony in His flesh.  For my sins- and yours, too.  He did all of that because He looked beyond His pain and saw a greater good.  He saw the salvation of our souls and our reconciliation to God.  Because the cause was so great, He was willing to suffer a proportionately great pain to birth it. 

We are to "arm ourselves with the same mind".  We have to recognize that any sacrifices we make to sow in the Spirit will be worth an eternal reward that is infinitely more valuable than the cost of our present suffering.  Want to demonstrate Christ's love, patience and kindness?  Then there will be suffering in the flesh- times you do not get your way; times that you want to scream bloody-murder and yet you hold your peace.  That is the type of suffering we are called to.  Christ paid the price for our salvation.  We do not need to add to it.  His sacrifice was sufficient.  Our suffering has to do with crucifying our sinful flesh and letting the nature of God come forth.

Many of our life's goals- weight loss, debt reduction, acquiring savings, all of these things are only birthed through suffering and self-denial.  Marathon runners become conditioned through sacrifice and suffering.  Anything in life worth having, must be worth a reasonable amount of sacrifice.

If we are going to live for the will of God and not for our sinful lusts, we will have to arm ourselves with this attitude on a daily basis.  As the Apostle Paul modeled for us the attitude of: "I die daily," we must, too, put aside our selfish ways each day and take up the cross of Christ.

Dear Lord, help me to follow in Your steps and be willing to do the hard stuff to reach  the goals you have set for my life.

In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

It's Sin

 

 

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.   Rom 14:23 (NKJV)

 

To eat or not to eat- that was the question.  This passage is about people whose conscience would not allow them to eat food sacrificed to idols. Whereas, other people recognized that idols were nothing and had no problem eating the food.  Freedom vs. respect of others was the issue.

 

But the part I want to focus on today is the second part, "For whatever is not from faith is sin."  If I look at this verse alone- what a sinner I am!  How many things do I do out of fear?  Out of habit?  Out of obligation?  Out of personal lust or greed?  This passage starts dealing with where we live.  This is "Christian sin"- if there is such a thing!  This passage deals with the attitude of the heart and mind.  This goes beyond outward acts and cuts directly to our motives.

 

I have walked with the Lord all of my life. I have made many choices based in faith.  But lots of times, I will confess, I have made choices off the top of my head.  I remember when I started catching the vision that I should include God in my decision-making.  I had decided I needed a new laptop for my business.  But it was going to be over $400.  I remembering lying in our bedroom floor asking God if it was the right decision.  Why?  Because I was unsure about accruing debt to get it, and we certainly did not have that much extra lying around.  To be honest, I have bought cars with less prayer than I did with the laptop!  But once I felt a peace about it, I was able to move forward in faith.  And I did so knowing that I had sought the Lord's direction.

 

A lot of time I make decisions based on fear.  Other times I make decisions based on faith, but fear shows up to taunt me.  It is sometimes difficult to stay in faith when so many negative emotions wage war against our minds.

 

We cannot go wrong trusting God with whatever situation we find ourselves in.   He is faithful.  Therefore, we must be faith-full.

 

I have had some failed "faith projects"- things I have believed for that did not work out, things that left me bankrupt in my faith tank.  Some of them, 7 or 8 years later, I am still in a crisis of faith about (if I am honest with myself). It is not OK to let that remain within us.  We have to work through the doubt, the unbelief and the fear.  Faith has to be the spiritual gas that propels us through life.

 

Dear Lord, please forgive me for all the times that I made decisions based on my own desires, thoughts, opinions, fear or dread.  Please help me to discern your will and to step forward in faith.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

A special shout-out today to my mom, Judy Sullivan.  Today is her birthday and I just want to praise God for the gift she has always been to me! I love you, Mom! 

 

Sherri

Can't Touch That

 

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.'" II Cor. 6:17

 

It is so hard to get it right as a Christian.  On the one hand, we do not need to be "Lysol Christians" who are too sanitized to interact with the unsaved.  On the other hand, we cannot get so close to the world that we become like them and take up their ways.  There is a balance between the two extremes, and it is important that we work to keep that balance in view at all times.

 

There is a great Mexican restaurant around here, that everyone loves to eat at.  But, because of the ventilation system, you can "smell" where people have had lunch!  The scent permeates every layer of clothing.  It can even settle into your hair.  That is the way sin is as well.  If we are around it too long, the stench begins to settle in our spirit.  When I think of this problem, I always think about Lot who "pitched his tent toward Sodom."  When the time of destruction came, he was too close in to let go of the world.  The Angel of the Lord had to drag him out to save him.  The way of sin has a way of latching onto us and holding us longer than we want to stay.

 

We cannot expect to be people of influence if we hang out in the same places as sinners all the time.  We have to be Jesus in this world.

 

  Dear God, teach me the balance between making redemptive friendships and compromising with the world. Direct me and help me to always be set apart for you.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Sherri

 

 

No Excuses

 

 

"When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me.  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed."   James 1:13-14

"His own evil desire." That is what causes temptation.  Not injustice, not seduction, not the devil making me do it.  It's all me.  When I am tempted it is because of an evil desire that I have. That is what opens wide the door for the enemy to come in and drag me away and entice me.  (I hope as you read this that you are applying the "me's" to yourself as well!)

That is one of those hard-to-swallow truths.  We like to blame others.  That has been going on since the first sin in the Garden of Eden.  It is very difficult to take full responsibility for our own wrong doing.  Has the Lord ever required the hard confession from you?  You know the one.  It is where you have to say, "I am  sorry I did ____, I was wrong."  The end.  No justification.  No explanation.  No reminding the other person that they played a part.  That smarts!  God has required that of me a number of times.  It is very humbling and it takes a work of God's grace to carry it out.

What tempts you?  What appeals to you?  What area of your life do you most struggle with? Temper?  Lust?   Worldly possessions or pursuits?  Being judgmental?   Whatever your "hot button" is,  begin to ask the Lord to show you what wrong desire is at the root of your temptation.  Then begin to ask for revelation of the problem and the strength to pull it out at the root.

Dear Lord, I struggle with _____.  Please forgive me for the wrong desire of ___. Help me to be wiser and stronger through the Holy Spirit.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Who is in Control?

 

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know  that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him.  If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he  should pray and God will give him life.  I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.  I am not saying that he  should pray about that.  All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.  We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."  I John 5:13-19

 

It is appalling to hear the language some people use out in public.  It blows my mind how freely people brag about committing sin.  It is nauseating to see how sexualized our whole culture has become.  I am  surprised by how unashamed people are about their own conduct.  But should I be?  Is it really hard to imagine sinners choosing to sin?

 

We are all born with the inherent sin nature, thanks to Adam and Eve.   We all have a tendency to choose to do wrong and have wrong attitudes. It comes with the territory  of being a human.  No one has to teach a child to lie when they do wrong.  No one has to teach a baby to be selfish.  We are hard-wired to behave in that way.  Unless the blood of Jesus draws a line in our life.  Then, we can come to expect right thoughts, attitudes and behaviors.

 

People who are not following Jesus, by default, are "under the control of the evil one."  Satan is calling the shots, leading them around and distorting their thinking.  Rather than be shocked and dismayed,  we should be moved to pray for them!  If we want to see people learn how to dress and show some respect, we will first have to show them Jesus!  He alone has the power to break the chains to the flesh and the dark side of this world.

 

Sometimes Christians forget where they came from.  We get so used to hanging out with other "redeemed" folks that we forget the wretched state we were in, when we met Jesus.  Maybe the strange looking teen at Wal-Mart has never heard that God loves them.  Perhaps the sexually promiscuous young adult thinks this way of doing things is  the "modern way" of dating.  We have to be salt and light, showing people a better way to live.  This cannot be done by shaming them or beating them over the head with our large study Bibles.  We have to pray to see the world as Jesus sees them.  He looks on them with compassion.  He sees their hearts and their hurts.  We have to love them to win them.

 

Dear Lord, help me to see the world through your eyes.  Help me to reach out in love to those who are bound by this world, and controlled by the enemy.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Sherri

Sinning Saint

 

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know  that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him.  If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he  should pray and God will give him life.  I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.  I am not saying that he  should pray about that.  All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.  We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him."  I John 5:13-18

 

This is one of those touchy verses that we often like to glide over without really taking in its meaning.  This is a bottom-line verse of Scripture.  If a person has received Christ, they  do not continue to sin. 

 

I have known non-believers who have lived by a higher moral code than some "Christians."  This is not how it is supposed to be!  Being a  "sinning saint" was never what God intended for his children.   His will is that Christians walk blameless in a sin-darkened world.  And in so doing, we shine His light in the world.

 

Now you may be wondering if I am claiming that I no longer sin.  Oh, how I wish that were true! But I fail and fall short too many times to count.  So what does this verse mean?  Once we are born again, we receive the Spirit of God.   He comes to live inside of us and give us the grace and strength  to live a victorious Christian life.  But, unfortunately, until we are joined with God in heaven, we will continue our battle with our "flesh."  The flesh is the carnal man, the part of us that always seems to tug us away from God's best for our life.

 

Christians should endeavor at all times to walk in a way that is above reproach.  Our thoughts, speech, manner of conduct, relationships, how we handle our finances, all of it, should be governed by the Holy Spirit.  Every second of every day we should endeavor to  live out the Word of God  in our lives. Because we are human, we are not capable of getting it right all of the time.  But we can work to keep our hearts right.  When the heart is right, the rest follows suit.  A Christian should not have a lifestyle of sin, but rather a lifestyle  of obedience.  I believe Joyce Meyer said it best, "When I was a sinner, I was a full-time sinner.  Sometimes I messed up and did it right.  Now that I am a believer, I am a full-time believer, and sometimes I mess up and sin."  See the difference?  A Christian's slip ups should be the exception, not the rule. Habitual sin has no place  in the life of one of God's children.  When we sin, we must be quick to confess it to God; repent (or turn away from it); and get up and try again to get right back on track with God's plan.

 

Are there areas of your life that you continually make room for sin?  If so, beware!  The enemy of  your soul is at work in your life.  If you no longer feel conviction when you sin, you are not walking in the Spirit!   Do you constantly gossip?  Have fits of anger?  Do you often curse?  Do you watch pornography?  Reflect on today's verse and ask the Lord to show you if you have areas of your life that he is not Lord over.

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Dear Lord, show me any areas of my heart that I have not brought under your Lordship.  Help me to live a life worth of you.  I confess the sin of ____, and ask you to help me to not do it anymore.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Sherri

A Sin By Any Other Name

 

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know  that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him.  If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he  should pray and God will give him life.  I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.  I am not saying that he  should pray about that.  All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death."  I John 5:13-17

 

Sin.  What an ugly word!  What a taboo thing to say this day and age!  At this point, nothing is sin, it is just all deciding what is right for you.  At least that is the message from the world.  But, the message of the Bible never changed.  Things are either right, or they are sin.  Shades of grey simply do not exist in the Word of God.  And therefore, should not exist in our lives either.

 

Sin leads to death.  There is no way around it.  Righteous living (subsequent to receiving Christ's offer of salvation), leads to life.  We have to personally have a good grasp on what is truth and what is a lie.  Our opinion is not the plumb line of how we make decisions. The truth inherent in God's word has to be the measuring rod.  It is the only thing that does not move and does not change.  My opinion on issues can vacillate, depending on my experiences, the experiences of those I care about or from "enlightening" articles that I read.  But God's Word stands the test of time in all age groups, all socioeconomic levels, all ethnic groups and both sexes.  It is the timeless classic. 

 

Once we have an understanding of the Bible on any given social issue, it is our duty to uphold truth even when it is unpopular.  But truth must always be presented with respect toward the sinner.  God loves all men.  All are made in his image and for his glory.  Attacking others is not Jesus' way.  If any truth we present is not motivated by love and a desire to see the other person saved, we are not led by God.

 

It is not always conducive to confront people about their sin.  We must be led by the Spirit to know when to speak, and when to keep quiet.  But one thing we can do, is live a life before them, that points them to Jesus.  And we can pray for them.  According to one of today's verses, our prayer could lead to life for them.  We can pray for them to experience conviction for their sin.  We can pray for God to plant people in their life that will be a positive influence on them.  We can pray for the Lord to soften their heart, and cause them to hear or see truth.

 

But what if they have committed "the sin that leads to death"?  Personally, when I do not know the condition of their heart, I choose to pray for them and let the Lord decide how he deals with them.  If I pray out of concern for someone, what harm is  done?  But if I do not pray for them, what horrible fate can come?

 

There have been times I have felt the burden to pray for people lift.  That is when praying for them is not accompanied by grace, but rather, feels like a chore.  In that case, we can turn them over to God knowing he is just and righteous and knows what they need.
 

Dear Lord, please keep me from sin.  Help me to walk in agreement with your Word.  Show me those that you would have me to intercede for and help me to be motivated by love toward all men.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Sherri

Should I or Shouldn't I?

 

 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen  him or known him."  I John 3:1-6

 

Today's verse is  one of those that is quite plain and to the point.  So much so, that it is almost offensive...to the flesh!  Our carnal nature does not like to be told what to do,  but that is precisely what it needs!  A successful Christian grabs their flesh "by the ear" and shows it who is boss- an often painful process.

Growing up I knew two "men of God" one was cool- even said a bad word  or two, the  other one was a fuddy-duddy  who lived a very disciplined lifestyle.  The first guy made it look like you could have Christ, but not have to be weird or different.  You could have your cake and eat it too!  The second guy made it look like you had to sacrifice a bunch to follow Christ.  Now understand that these were the perceptions of  a very young little girl, and they were likely skewed.  And of course,  there was shadows of things that I could not understand.   But the bottom line is that I wanted what half of the church of America wants today- to have Jesus in the one hand and the world in the other.  It simply does not work that way!

As my walk matured in the Lord, I began to look  back at the two role model men aforementioned.  I began to wonder why the first guy would choose to have the spiritual liability of  leading  young people astray and I understood more the second man.  But the truth is, neither of them had it just right, just as I do not have it quite right today!  We all have areas where we excel and areas  where we struggle.  Christianity is not meant to be a list of rules and regulations, nor is it meant to be a highly individualized and personalized gospel  where there is no set right or wrong.  Walking with God is a relationship.  It is a love affair that inspires us to want to live righteously and avoid sin.

I have found that when I am spending the appropriate amount of time in the Bible and in prayer, it is much harder to sin than when I am just going through the motions.  The Holy Spirit is called holy for a good reason.  One of his functions in our life is to make us holy.  If he- and Jesus- are in the house (our hearts) then there is a change in how we live.  We simply cannot flirt with the world and walk with God.

You may be asking, what is the cut-off point?  How much of God do I need to be saved, and how much can I fit in without forfeiting salvation?   If this is your heart, you are missing the point entirely!  No one know how far his grace extends.  But why choose to presume on the precious grace that we are offered?   When we choose to follow Jesus, it means we begin to walk like him, talk like him, act like him, and do the things he did.  Well, what if we don't?  Refer back to today's verse.  "No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."

Are you longing  for more freedom or more fun than you can have hanging out with church people?  Beware!  You are in danger.   Walking with Jesus is the most fun, fulfilling, happy and blessed existence you could ever hope for.  His yoke is easy and his burden is light.  It is our distinct joy to follow him in obedience.  When Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow him, it was not meant as a beautiful word-picture.  No, the cross was a cruel place of pain, suffering and death.  He was saying, die to sin, die to flesh, die to the world.  And then you will truly live!  For time without end.  Amen.

Dear Lord, help me in the area of ____ where I struggle with sin and obedience to your Word.   Help me to die to the flesh, that I may live for you.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

The Best Advice

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.”  I John 2:1

 

Is there a more beautiful verse of Scripture written anywhere?  When I think of Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, who never sinned at all, defending me, I am humbled beyond measure!  This passage is such a beautiful illustration of parenting.  “Johnny, get down out of that tree before you fall!”  (Johnny hurtles to the ground, breaking his arm.)  Mama or Daddy runs to him at break-neck speed, grabs him up with loving consolation and rushes him to the ER.  This is that type of thing, only times infinity!

“My dear children” here is the apostle John demonstrating a spiritual Father type of love, sent to several gentile congregations, passed around anywhere there were believers.  With great tenderness he admonishes them to not sin.  In many ways this makes me think of the “birds and the bees” talk given to our adolescent children.  “Sex is for after marriage, etc., etc.  But if you get into trouble, I want you to talk to me.  I am still going to love you and be there for you.”  We tell them what we want for them.  We tell them what is best for them.  We tell them how to avoid heartache, disaster and sickness.  But if for some reason, they do not heed our advice, we do not throw them out.  We try to lovingly restore them.

Jesus does not want us to sin.  Period.  He has given us his Spirit to guide us; a conscience through which to lead us; his Word to direct us; and his grace to empower us.  This is the sin-free power package.  But just as we recognize the humanity and propensity to fail in our little ones, he sees it is in us.  He knows our frame- the very hairs of our head are numbered.  He knows us inside and out.  What love!  What devotion!  He wants us to succeed.  He wants us to be blessed.  He wants us to walk closely with him.  But if we stumble, if we fall, he is there to bring us help.

If he were not mercy; the conversation with the Father would be so much different. It would be more like, “Father, Sherri has gotten angry and lost her temper.  I never did that when I walked this earth.  Punish her.”  He is grace.  Take a moment and thank him for his longsuffering mercy toward you.

I would not be a balanced Bible teacher, if I did not offer up a word of caution at this point.  He tells us not to sin.  We should never purposefully choose to sin and then impose on his mercy.  His mercy is not cheap.  It was purchased with the pure blood of the Lamb!  One day as I was diving into a ridiculously sinful dessert, I jested with friends, “For this sin I am about to commit, please forgive me.”  We laughed about it, because it was just dessert.  But how many Christians live their lives in the same way.  I know what I am doing is wrong; but I am going to keep doing it and get forgiveness later.  Be careful!  You are gambling with your soul.

Dear Lord, thank you for your extravagant mercy and forgiveness.  Forgive me for knowingly sinning against your mercy.  Help me to walk in purity and holiness.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

Unfounded Claim

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”  I John 1:1-10

 

 

We are all sinners.  Ever since Adam and Eve made the choice to defy God, we have all been subject to an inherent tendency to sin.  Any religion or philosophy that tells you otherwise, stands in direct opposition to the Word of God.

We have made life such a relative thing.  But there are still absolutes in this world.  There really is a black and a white; a right and a wrong; a correct action and a sin.  Regardless of extenuating circumstances and our preferences, the truth remains. 

If we deny the absolute authority of the Bible, every choice thereafter is skewed.  God knew we needed absolute truth and he laid his will out for us in the Bible.  If we want to live righteously, and avoid making God out to be a liar, we have to hide the Word of God within our heart.  We have to read the Word, study the Word, and memorize it. That way we know what is true and what is false.  When we listen to our own advice or opinion, we are likely to fall short of the mark.

I challenge you to begin to delve more deeply into the Bible, every day.  Life, wisdom and direction are found within its pages.  If you choose to make the Bible your foundation, the enemy will not be able to lie to you and shake you, you will stand firm!

Dear Lord, give me a deeper love for your Word.  A stronger passion for righteousness.  A greater desire to walk holy before you.  Forgive me for making you out to be a liar by my actions.  I am sorry.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Can I Make a Confession?

 

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  I John 1:1-9

So, if I just say I sinned he will forgive me?  Does that sound a little too easy?  That is the beauty of the grace of God.  He has made salvation so simple, a pre-schooler can do it!  He stands ready, willing and able to forgive us.  All he asks from us is that we confess our sins to him.  When we do, he unleashes forgiveness, cleansing and purifying into our lives. He washes away things that are unrighteous and restores us to righteousness.

What a gracious God we serve!  There are things I have said, done or thought in my life that make me unworthy to ever stand in his presence.  In fact, they would justifiably send me into an eternity of hell.  But when I just use my mouth, name my sin, take ownership of it, he just makes it disappear!

But here is the hard part: pride.  Stinking pride often stands in the way of us wanting to admit we have done wrong.  I am mad with so and so because they did thus and so to me (nice analogy, huh?).  Therefore, I run them through the mud to everyone that will stand still.  Now the time comes that God has convicted me of it for the fortieth time and I know I cannot go on without his forgiveness.  The tendency is to start with, “Lord, I am sorry I said what I said, but they never should have done that to me…”  Pride makes us justify our sin rather than confess our sin.  Furthermore, sometimes in our pride we do not want to let go of our pet sin, rather we cling to it for dear life.

There are other times that we so hate ourselves for our wrongdoing that we find it difficult to admit it out loud or name it to God.  We have to work beyond all that junk if we are going to truly bring it before him in humility and repentance.

Another fan favorite is this:  “Lord, please forgive me of all my sins.  Amen.”  Ok, there is times that this type of prayer works.  But there are others times it simply will not fly.  We cannot just clump it together; gloss over it and keep going.  We need to own it if we want to be free from it.

I remember a time a number of years ago that I was feeling like my prayers were hitting the ceiling and bouncing back to me.  Ever been there?  I did not know what was wrong; I just did not feel close to God any longer.  I finally decided to start a fast because I did not know what else to do.  During my prayer time one day, I felt compelled to just start naming any sin that came to mind and asking God to forgive me of it.  You can’t over-repent, right?!  So I began praying, “Lord forgive me of lying, stealing, cheating, gossiping, murdering, committing adultery, being gluttonous, slandering, sowing seeds of division…”  If it was a sin named in the Bible I could think of, I repented.  Now obviously I hadn’t killed anyone or committed adultery, but we have to remember the holiness of God.  Jesus said if we hate, we commit murder.  If we look on someone to lust, we have committed adultery.  So I thought, who knows?  Maybe I was angry with someone without good reason, or looked at a movie star and thought, “Man, he’s fine!”  Regardless, as I began to go through and sincerely confess and repent of sin, I began to feel the weight fall off of me.  I began to feel so light and free. I had committed sin I was not even aware of on a conscious level! Before long there was no distance between me and God, only sweet communion.

In a day’s time there are so many opportunities to sin in thought, word or deed.  Lots of times we fail to practice a lifestyle of repentance and we overlook the need to confess.  As it builds up, our conscious becomes hardened and we do not even hear the convincing voice of the Holy Spirit as well.

Yep, confession is all it takes.  But we have to crucify the flesh and humble ourselves to do that.

Dear Lord, forgive me of taking you for granted.  For committing sin and failing to confess it to you.  Please wash away the grime that living in this world leaves on my spirit.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Sherri

I Sinned

 

 

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  I John 1:1-8

 

Have you ever known a person who believed that they were without sin?  If so, you probably were talking to someone impossible to witness to. Without the foundational principle of knowing there is an inherent sin nature, an individual has a hard time recognizing their need for a Savior.  As in most things in life, admitting the problem is the first step to receiving help.

I remember the first time I realized that my precious little child had chosen to purposely deceive me.  I could not believe it.  I had always told him how sweet he was, how smart he was, how very much he was loved.  I doted on him and tried to make his little world all he could hope for.  Still, naughtiness came from out of the blue.  But was it really?  Of course not; we can trace the root of sin all the way back to Adam.  And to Lucifer even before that.  When my little ones begin to display purposeful, premeditated sin, I know it is time to start talking to them about what sin is and how it separates us from God. 

We are not without sin.  Our very nature is proud, lustful and covetous.  If we will admit that, the truth is at work in our lives.  Where truth is, we find Jesus for he is truth. We have been talking about walking in the light.  The first step to that walk is to confess our sins to the Lord- one by one, and asking for forgiveness.  This occurs at salvation.  But can I tell you a secret? Even after salvation, we must constantly recognize our need for God’s cleansing, healing and restoration in our lives.  Then can we receive that purity and enjoy our day in the sun.

Dear Lord, I am a helpless sinner without you.  I am so grateful that you give me the help I need to overcome sin and become righteous in your sight.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri